Calendar of Events

Following his 2017 exhibit Twenty-One Still Lifes, Barry Spann returns with a compelling new body of work that playfully explores inner and outer spaces, and the realms in between. We invite you to experience a very special evening featuring a bold new installation singular to this exhibit.

Please join us for the opening reception on Friday, October 4 from 6-9 p.m. Meet the artist and enjoy live music & refreshments. The gallery will be transformed for a bold new installation singular to this exhibit. This is a dressy-casual First Friday event that is free & open to the public.

The District Gallery & Framery, 5113 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37919
(865) 200-4452 or www.TheDistrictGallery.com
Gallery Hours: Monday - Friday 10-5:30, Saturday 10-4

Enjoy the Opening Reception of the “Autumn Blaze” Fall Art Show on Friday, October 4, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. This special reception is scheduled on the regular monthly “Fun and Wine Friday” reception date. Participants can view the show entries and watch the presentation of awards to the winning artists. Hors d'oeuvres, wine, and other beverages will be available. The reception is free and open to the public. The “Autumn Blaze” Fall Art Show will be on display in the gallery through October 31.

Art Guild at Fairfield Glade at the Plateau Creative Arts Center, 451 Lakeview Drive, Fairfield Glade, TN 38558. Information: 931-707-7249, www.artguildfairfieldglade.net

An opening reception will be held on Friday, October 4th from 5:30-8PM.

Pieced is a collaborative exhibition of work by Melissa Everett Textiles and Nick DeFord

Melissa Everett: Each dyed, painted or printed textile, a unique work of art in itself, is cut and deconstructed to then be reconciled into a larger quilted piece. The steps taken resonate and reveal how hope and beauty can emerge from brokenness.

Nick DeFord: The work in Pieced represents both an exploration of mapping, but also the metaphoric properties of gaming and escapism. By embellishing the already decorative surfaces of game boards, it both accentuates their paths and trails, but also destroys their utilitarianism. Additionally, by starting to use alchemical signs, symbols, images and monsters, the work alludes to the transformation from low art to high art, from ephemera to gold, and from the starting square to finished line.

More about the Artists: https://www.facebook.com/events/2297177240369140/

Dogwood Arts, 123 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902. Information: 865-637-4561, www.dogwoodarts.com
Gallery hours M-F 9-5

October Featured Artists - First Friday Reception: October 4, 5:30 – 9 p.m.

Marie Merritt interprets the scenic vistas, babbling streams, lovely flora, and majestic animals she encounters in nature throughout her signature style of oil painting. She strives to impart the same sense of awe, peace and calm that she enjoys. She develops a quality of depth and dimension in her paintings that is sensitive and expressive by using traditional time honored techniques of multiple layers of oil paints and glazes. Marie, a native of East Tennessee, has received numerous awards, designations and recognitions with her art, including Certified Decorative Artist and Teacher of Decorative Arts. Her original works hang in private and corporate collections throughout the region and her art has been featured on book covers and in magazines. She is represented by the Art Market Gallery in Knoxville, TN and her work can be seen at www.mariemerritt.com

Linda Sullivan: My ceramic work for several years has consisted of wheel-thrown and hand-formed stoneware and porcelain fired to 2300 degrees F in the oxidizing atmosphere of electric kilns. I have had a special interest in developing unique glazes since graduate school at Northern Illinois University, where I received a Master of Fine Arts Degree. My work has often evoked landscape imagery. While I continue with that glaze approach, retirement a few years ago from a career in healthcare information technology allowed me time to finally begin experimenting with crystalline glazes.
The pieces in this show were made using porcelain clay with self-developed glazes containing chemicals, such as zinc oxide, that encourage development of crystals. I program a computerized kiln to reach a peak temperature of 2300 degrees and then cool slowly by holding at multiple specific temperatures for up to three hours at a time for crystal formation. Just as in nature, when conditions are right, crystals will develop and grow, resulting in unique pieces that differ from one another and cannot be duplicated. The process for creating crystalline work is challenging in that successful results require several steps to ensure that crystals form. Conditions must be correct – including appropriate clay body, fluid glazes with specific chemical ingredients and percentages, thickness of glaze, and firing/cooling kiln cycle are critical. The failure rate with this technique is greater than in my other work. However, experimenting with crystalline glazes has really captured my interest for now and has been very satisfying in spite of the unpredictability. The process for creating crystalline work is challenging in that successful results require several steps to ensure that crystals form. Conditions must be correct – including appropriate clay body, fluid glazes with specific chemical ingredients and percentages, thickness of glaze, and firing/cooling kiln cycle are critical. The failure rate with this technique is greater than in my other work. However, experimenting with crystalline glazes has really captured my interest for now and has been very satisfying in spite of the unpredictability.

Art Market Gallery, 422 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: Tu-Sa 11-6, Su 1-6. Information: 865-525-5265, www.artmarketgallery.net

October 4th 6-9PM (Will be on display the entire month)

Join us in welcoming Pippin Long as our October First Friday artist. She is a native Tennessean and a graduate of UT Knoxville with a degree in art. While she enjoys experimenting with various mediums and techniques, Pippin’s main focus is in drawing and painting, and has worked with watercolors from a very young age. Her newest work explores portraiture and the treatment of skin using watercolor and negative space. Pippin currently makes her home in Asheville, NC.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1229898297217399/

Rala, 112 W. Jackson Ave, Knoxville, TN 37902
HOURS: Mon - Thurs: 10:00am to 8:00pm, Fri - Sat: 10:00am to 9:00pm, Sun: 11:00am to 5:00pm
PH: (865) 525-7888, Instagram: @ShopRala
https://shoprala.com

Awaken Coffee will host artist Rita Nabors for First Friday, Oct. 4 from 6-9 pm.

Rita Nabors is primarily self-taught, relying on continuous study, practice, and observation. Painting in oil and acrylic, her favorite subjects are landscapes and animals. Her current Farm Series is painted on rusty roofing tin.

Join us for inspiring art, refreshments and of course great coffee!

Awaken Coffee is a live music venue, espresso bar, craft beer & wine bar and organic restaurant in the heart of downtown. Awaken Coffee, 125 W Jackson Ave, Knoxville, Tennessee 37902

Hours: Mon-Thu 7 AM - 9 PM, Fri 7 AM - 10 PM, Sat 8 AM - 10 PM, Sun 2-8 PM

Broadway Studios and Gallery will be hosting The Community Art League of Athens, Tn with their show entitled "Trading Spaces" for the first Friday event in October.

Broadway Studios and Gallery, 1127 Broadway St, Knoxville, TN 37917. Hours: Fri-Sat, 10-6, by appointment, or when the "open" sign is illuminated. Information: 865-556-8676, www.BroadwayStudiosAndGallery.com

Artist Lecture: Thursday, October 3, 7:30pm, room 109, A+A Building
First Friday Reception: October 4, 5-9pm, UT Downtown Gallery

The UT Downtown Gallery is pleased to present False Calm, an installation by Sam Vernon.

Sam Vernon earned her MFA in Painting/Printmaking from Yale University in 2015 and her BFA from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in 2009.

Her installations combine xeroxed drawings, photographs, paintings and sculptural components in an exploration of personal narrative and identity. She uses installation and performance to honor the past while revising historical memory. Sam lives in Oakland, CA and teaches printmaking as an Assistant Professor at California College of the Arts (CCA).

Please join us for an Artist Lecture on Thursday, October 3rd at 7:30pm in room 109 of the A+A Building and then next evening for a First Friday opening reception at the UT Downtown Gallery.

UT Downtown Gallery, 106 S. Gay St, Knoxville, TN 37902. Hours: W-F 11-6, Sa 10-3. Information: 865-673-0802, http://web.utk.edu/~downtown

Fall Heritage Fridays, every Friday in October from 9am-3pm, will offer the opportunity to step back in time and enjoy the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of pioneer traditions and demonstrations. Each week will present its own focus area of pioneer life, with exhibitions centered around each theme.

Friday, October 4: “Fall Harvest Day” Activities to include sorghum making, canning, gardening, farm animal education and petting area, and cooking demonstrations.

Friday, October 11: “Pioneer Performance Arts Day” Activities to include traditional music education and performance, old-fashioned games, dancing, and storytelling.

Friday, October 18: “Pioneer Trades Day” Activities to include blacksmithing, doll making, sawmilling, leatherworking, beekeeping, wheat threshing, shingle splitting, and coopering.

Friday, October 25: “Textiles and Heritage Arts Day” Activities to include sheep herding and shearing, spinning and weaving, pottery making, quilting, and basket weaving.

Museum of Appalachia, 2819 Andersonville Hwy., Clinton, TN 37716 (16 miles north of Knoxville at I-75, exit 122, then one mile east). Open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Information: 865-494-7680, www.museumofappalachia.org

A reception will take place on Friday, October 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities

This new exhibition, presented by the Townsend Artisan Guild, features original art by 20 artists including fiber arts, charcoal, pen and ink, oils, watercolors, acrylics, photography, pottery, woodworking, and mixed media. The Guild is excited about the opportunity to present the breadth and quality of these artists who live and work in the East Tennessee area.

Founded in 2007, the Guild brings together working fine artists and fine crafts persons to promote education, exploration, awareness, and development of arts. The group of approximately 80 members strives to promote community interest in and appreciation of the arts through participation in events, demonstrations, classes, festivals, and workshops. The Guild operates the Townsend Artisan Guild and Studios at 7719 East Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend, where juried members display and sell their work, and artists work in their studios. The art represents a wide variety of visual arts and is rotated frequently to represent the continued creativity of its displaying artists. Membership in the Guild is open to working artists, aspiring artists, and those supporting the arts. Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of each month at the Wood N Strings Dulcimer Shop, 7645 East Lamar Alexander Parkway. The meeting includes a business meeting, a program, and a time for fellowship. Guests are always welcome to attend. For more information, please visit www.townsendartisanguild.org, find them on Facebook at Townsend Artisan Guild, or e-mail townsendartisanguild@gmail.com.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

A reception will take place on Friday, October 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities

Barb Johnson and Anna Rykaczewska will display work from their perspective of what they observe in photographed images. The images include both inside and outside spaces. The quality of light as it infiltrates a setting determines how textures and color tones play a major role in their compositions.

Barbara Rybolt Johnson is from Swayzee, Indiana and earned her degree in art education from Indiana State University. She taught art in public and private schools, most recently at Christian Academy of Knoxville. Barb is now a full-time artist, private teacher, and member of Art Group 21. Her artwork has been displayed in numerous juried art venues including Arts in the Airport, Oak Ridge Art Center, Art Guild at Fairfield Glade, Knoxville mayors’ offices, and art shows in the Emporium Center. Follow her on Instagram at @barbjohnsonart or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/barbjohnsonart.

Anna Rykaczewska was born, lived in and received her education in Warsaw, Poland. She graduated from the High School of Fine Arts where she studied painting, sculpture, graphics, costume design, scenography, jewelry design, and photography. She then earned a master’s degree in art history at the University of Warsaw. Rykaczewska worked for seven years as the Art Specialist and Designer at Ars Christiana, the premiere and largest company in Poland specializing in religious art. She has resided in many European countries due to her husband's scientific career, and since 1997 has lived in the United States. In 2001, the YWCA honored her with a nomination for the "Woman of Distinction" award in recognition of her volunteer work. One of her paintings was presented to His Excellency US Ambassador to Poland Victor Ashe by the local Polish-American Community in 2004, and the painting exhibited at the Residence of the US Ambassador in Warsaw for six years. For more information, visit http://ar-art.com.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.

A reception will take place on Friday, October 4, from 5:00-9:00 PM as part of First Friday activities

Anthony Owsley grew up in Knoxville but spent the majority of his life in Georgia where he attended The Art Institute of Atlanta. While living in Atlanta, he pursued a variety of creative ventures including cartooning, illustration, puppeteering, animation and theater. He was a member of the notorious Atlanta art collective 800 East from its inception in 1990 to its dissolution in 1998. He also served as comics editor for several alternative newspapers in the metro Atlanta region. Since relocating to Knoxville, Owsley has taken a passion for photography. His third exhibition includes a collection of floral photographs.

On display at the Emporium Center, 100 S. Gay Street, in downtown Knoxville. Exhibition hours are Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Information: (865) 523-7543 or www.knoxalliance.com.